Paul Dao

In the past week at the Rolex Monte Carlo Master’s 1000 tournament, big things were expected of the next wave of young tennis stars coming through in Dominic Thiem, Alexander Zverev, and Stefanos Tsitsipas, but instead they all exited before the quarter-finals. The current grumblings and criticism of this young group are that they are […]

The future looked bleak for Hawthorn fans after four rounds in 2017 where they endured seeing their team receive back-to-back 86-point drubbings at the hands of the Geelong Cats and more surprisingly, the Gold Coast Suns.

I agree with you. I think this is the breaking point between the Australian public and Nick Kyrgios. He’s reached an age (24) where he should be mature enough to understand the baggage that comes with being a professional tennis player, he may not enjoy what he does but there are millions of people out there who are stuck in jobs that they don’t love yet they go in each day and still perform.
In Nick’s case, his job is viewable in the public eye and whether he likes it or not, he is an ambassador for the sport especially for the younger fans who might look up to him. The ATP need to take action not just for Nick’s own sake but for the sake of tennis as well.
You want to nip this behaviour in the bud and restore respectability to the sport, it’s not good to have a player who constantly talks the sport down and brings the game into disrepute week in and week out.

I know what you mean. I think that’s why when people talk about the most memorable tennis matches, they think of Grand Slam contests like Wimbledon 08 men’s final or 2012 Aus Open final. They’re tough physical battles. Let’s hope for more great Grand Slam matches I say!

Thank you!
I agree with your point regarding the gruelling nature of Grand Slam play. Hence why players like Zverev and Kyrgios can chalk up wins over the big 4 but cannot replicate these wins into consistant Grand Slam performances.
You’re right, Masters tournaments used to have their only finals as best of 5 sets but now they have changed it to 3 sets.

Hi Mark,
I don’t think they’ve “finished” their rebuild but I think it’s a remarkable effort to progress this quickly. I agree with you they’ve done well.
In regards to Brisbane, even during Hawthorn’s 3 pear era they would always struggle against Richmond (who were nowhere near the force they are now). So I think maybe it’s tough to factor a rebuild based on losing to one team, it could just be they match up well to us stylistically. Happy to hear your thoughts.

I appreciate your opinion and I understand where you are coming from. I wrote this article to encourage opinion and I don’t say mine is correct so I appreciate you providing your own insight into this.

I actually think Nick is quite a curious case in tennis and his case can actually be applied to everyday working lives with many people out there dissatisfied with their jobs.

Great article Jed! My thoughts are that LeBron’s legacy at the Lakers will depend on his performances in the play offs. If he can knock off the Warriors within the next 2 years with the Lakers it will go a long way to cementing his status there…easier said than done though.

Sue, I agree. I read that he’s found a passion in life recently and that he’s set up a foundation to help young children which is fantastic. I think sometimes the media skew Nick’s personality but sometimes he is a bit brash which doesn’t help. i just thought I’d do an article that seeks to understand why he is as he is as opposed to just badmouthing him!

Good article, agree with the point that Germany outplayed France at Euro 2016. Many people look at the 2-0 scoreline and would think it was a comfortable victory to France. Germany could’ve easily been 2-0 up in the opening 20 minutes,

It will be a tough game for the Tigers I feel, my article isn’t about saying that the Pies will beat the Tiges, it’s more about of the remaining teams to play the Tigers, this will be one of the more challenging games for them. Will see what happens!